And Abby-Rue Makes Three
by PrincessDaydream77
Summary: Katniss is terrified that the reaping for the 99th Annual Hunger Games will be rigged so that her and Peeta's daughter, Abby-Rue, will be automatically reaped. Peeta dismisses it, but with Abby-Rue reaped and no-one young enough to take her place, will baby make three when it comes to the Hunger Games? AU, where the Hunger Games still happens.
1. Abigail-Rue Mellark

And Abby-Rue Makes Three

Summary: I decided to write this after I saw the film of the Hunger Games. The writing will probably get better as I go on because I'm reading the books as I go along. Katniss is terrified that the Reaping for the 99th annual Hunger Games has been rigged, so that Abby-Rue, her and Peeta's daughter and only child, will be automatically picked. Peeta tells her that she is being ridiculous, but with Abby-Rue being Reaped and no-one young enough to take her place, she is forced to say goodbye. Will baby make three when it comes to the Hunger Games, or has Katniss' luck finally run out? AU, because she is Katniss and Peeta's only child.

Disclaimer: All characters, except Abby-Rue and the other participants of the 99th annual Hunger Games, belong to Suzanne Collins. All plot-lines belong to me.

Chapter One

Katniss was sitting curled up in a corner, in the home she shared with her husband Peeta, the boy who she had got to know during the year that she was Reaped for the 74th Annual Hunger Games. And that was the problem.

This year was the 99th Annual Hunger Games and Katniss was terrified that the election would be rigged, due to the fact that this year was also the first year in which her and Peeta's daughter and only child, Abby-Rue, would be included in the candidates for the Reaping. Katniss knew from experience how easy it was to rig the election, as the sponsors had been caught for it only a few years previously. They had rigged the election so that the son of a contestant from the 65th Hunger Games was Reaped, just because of who his father was. He would have stood a chance if they had looked at his mother instead of his father, but Abby-Rue didn't even have that chance. Whichever parent they looked at would be a Hunger Games champion. Twice. She was the most vulnerable girl in the history of the Reaping, even though she had not had to take any tessarae, due to her parents being champions.

There was an air about District 12 today and even Peeta had to admit that the atmosphere was thick enough to be cut with a blade. Katniss knew that it was inevitable that Abby-Rue would be Reaped, but she didn't voice her concerns to anyone, particularly not her daughter.

She sat in silence, her own thoughts warring in her head, until the knock at the door came. It was time. She called Peeta and he came to the door with her, his arm around the shaking blonde girl who the call was for. Abby-Rue ran into her mother's arms and Katniss found it remarkable how much Abby-Rue reminded her of poor Prim, with her hair in two braids down her back and a light blue ruffled dress covering her knees. Her light white socks were shrinking down her legs to rest at the top of the light blue ballet pumps, ones which actually belonged to Katniss, who had worn them for her own first Reaping, four years before she had entered the Games herself. Katniss actually whispered the exact same words to Abby-Rue as she had to Prim all those years ago.

"Now, listen, Abby, it's your first year, your name's only been in there once. They're not going to pick you." Even as she said the words, she felt the falseness of them pulsing through her mind. She believed the words far less when she relayed them to her daughter than she had saying them originally, as she now knew them to have been untrue, and to have caused her young sister to believe and trust in her, when it had been those words that let her down.

After the blood sample was taken, Abby lingering hugged her parents goodbye and went to join the other twelve year old girls from the district, while Katniss and Peeta went to the barrier line with the other parents.

Finally, a well-dressed woman named Effie Trinkett appeared on the stage to nominate the tributes, as she had done every year since the 69th Hunger Games. '_She's the person who selected my parents__._' thought Abby. '_What if she picks me?__'_

"Welcome, welcome to the 99th Annual Hunger Games. Now, seeing as it is the 99th Annual Hunger Games, the selection process will be a little different. The tributes this year will be selected from the children of the previous Hunger Games victors."

The moment the words were spoken, Katniss gasped and buried her head in Peeta's chest, the tears beginning to spill over, not only onto Peeta's shirt, but into Katniss' hair as well. Peeta was trying not to let his wife see him cry, but he was unsuccessful. He only hoped the child of another champion would be chosen, but he doubted it highly, as did they all.

"Now, because it is the 99th Annual Hunger Games, we will begin with the boys." With that, Effie reached her hand into the glass bowl and pulled out a piece of paper. Breaking the seal, she read the name loudly and clearly into the microphone.

"Alexander Jonstone."

The crowds parted and a gorgeous boy with auburn hair, who must have been about fourteen or fifteen years old, made his way up to where Effie was standing. The Mellarks recognised him as the son of the 85th Hunger Games champion, Harmony Latham and her husband, a former Gamemaker, Andrew Jonstone. He was a good boy, from what they knew, and they hoped that he came to no harm.

"Well done, Mr. Jonstone. And now for the girls." Those were the words that Katniss had been dreading. The world seemed to slow down as Effie reached her hand into the second bowl and broke the seal on the paper she had removed. She leaned into the microphone and read the dreaded words.

"Abigail-Rue Mellark."

A/N : Had to leave it on a cliffhanger, just to raise the tension. Please review!


	2. The Long Goodbye

Chapter Two

A/N : Here's the next chapter. Thanks to my only reviewer, ShiverInTheLight, who added it to favourites as well. Also thanks to my only story alerter, Rosemarie Benson. Please review, guys, I need to know what you think!

The world had stopped turning. Katniss was frozen in time, just as she had been twenty-five years before. Except this time was different. Abby-Rue wasn't Prim. She didn't have an elder sister to step forward for her. She didn't have anyone to step forward for her. She was alone and helpless, making her way to the stage, trying to hold back the tears.

By the time she reached the microphone, she could not withhold the tears streaming down her face as the anthem was played and she was led into the Justice Building, just managing to catch a glimpse of her parents trying to break past the robes towards her before the heavy wooden doors seperated them.

Abby was sitting curled up in an armchair when her parents entered the room. She immediately lept into their arms, sobbing uncontrollably. Katniss held her close and stroked her hair, while Peeta rubbed soothing circles on her back and telling her that it would be alright. The silence was both tense and golden as the family sat together for a second.

"I haven't got a chance." whispered Abby.

"Don't say that, of course you do. I've taught you how to hunt and which plants you can eat, and your dad taught you camouflage. You'll be alright. We were, weren't we?"

"But I'm not you, Mum. You had Dad and Dad had you. You were always together. You were never alone, but I will be."

"I didn't always have Dad, you know. I had another person as well, one you're named after."

"Abby?"

"Abby-Rue Mellark, you are named after a girl from my district who used to be my friend, but you're also named after my saviour in the Hunger Games. Rue."

"What happened to her?"

"She died." said Katniss simply, feeling that saying any more would bring her to tears. Silence fell again and again, it was Abby who broke it.

"Do you really think I can win?"

"Of course you can." replied Peeta strongly, trying to convince his wife as well as his daughter. "It's in your blood."

Abby smiled and looked at her watch, a present for her sixth birthday. "Three minutes."

"Right. Abby, I just want to give you this." said Katniss, reaching into her pocket and pulling out something small and gold. Opening her palm, she held it out to Abby and she saw what it was.

"The mockingjay?" breathed Abby.

"Yes. This was my good luck charm, in the Games. It reminded me that there were people back home who cared about me. It was really special to me, and now...to you." Katniss reached for the blue ruffled material and pinned the gold to it.

"There. Now, there is nothing else you need. Remember, stick close to Haymitch, do what he says, same with your prep team. When the Games start, grab a pack, and a bow if you can, and run. If someone comes towards you before you get to it, just run away, as far and as fast as you can. You know what plants you can eat and you can hunt. Don't go looking for trouble, just stick it out. Alright? Is there anything else you want to know?"

"Can you sing the song to me? My special lullaby."

Katniss pulled her close and slipped one hand into Peeta's.

"_Deep in the meadow, under the willow,  
A bed of grass, a soft green pillow,  
Lay down your head, and close your eyes,  
And when they open, the sun will rise._

_Here it's safe and here it's warm,  
And here the daisies guard you from every harm,  
And here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true,  
Here is the place where I love you._

_Deep in the meadow, hidden far away,  
A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray,  
Forget your woes and let your troubles lay,  
And when again it's morning, they'll wash away._

_Here it's safe, here it's warm,  
And here the daisies guard you from every harm,  
And here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true,  
Here is the place where I love you."_

Almost immediately after the lullaby was completed, the Peacekeepers bursted through the door and bundled Katniss and Peeta out of the room. Just before the doors were closed, Katniss managed to yell a few words.

"Abby! We both love you, remember that! You can do this, we believe in you! You can win!"

And Abby was alone, holding the skirts of her dress as close around her as she could and whispered to herself;

"I hope so, Mum. I really do."

A/N : Next chapter; Abby meets Haymitch!


	3. The Mockingjay Reborn

Chapter Three

Abby-Rue looked keenly out of the window as the endless fields of District 11 flew past her eyes. She and Alex were waiting for their mentor, the legendary Haymitch. Abby knew she was in safe hands, as Haymitch had been the mentor to her parents for both the 74th and 75th Hunger Games, and they had made it through both practically unscathed.

"Do you trust Haymitch?" asked Alex, completely out of the blue.

"He got both my parents, and your mum, through the Hunger Games. In my parent's case twice! He was the first victor from District 12. So yeah, I kind of do. But I'm still not quite convinced."

"Convinced about what?"

"That he's...well, that he can be trusted." answered the younger, her voice decreasing to a forceful whisper.

"I thought the same. I mean, he went behind your parents' backs. Even if it was for a good cause, he kept something really important from them and I can't help feeling that he has the capacity to do it to us." agreed Alex, glancing at the young girl staring persistently through the window.

"You'll be alright, Abby, I promise. I'll keep you safe, no matter what." said Alex suddenly, putting his hand on Abby's shoulder in a comforting manner.

"Don't say that." replied Abby sadly, shrugging away from his hand and turning her head from his.

"Only one of us is getting out of this competition alive and I am going to do everything I can to make sure that it's you."

"Abby, more people than one can get out of the Hunger Games, we both know this because your parents did it twice. If we stick together, we can beat this thing. You're your mother's daughter and I'm hopefully my mother's son. We can do it."

"Great amount of faith you two have." came a voice from the doorway, startling the pair, who immediately darted from their seats, searching the room wildly for the speaker. Then they caught sight of a relatively plump man, with a bottle of white liquor in his hand. Haymitch.

"So, you're the champion children, then. Disappointing, I thought I'd get better tributes."

"So, you're Haymitch, then. Even more disappointing. I thought we'd get a sober Mentor for the Games. You never change."

"Yep, they told me I'd get the mouthy one. Just like my favourite Tribute, twenty-five years ago. Alright, names?"

"Alex Jonstone." Alex had decided to speak first, to allow Abby to simmer down a bit before she had to address their Mentor again.

"Peacekeeper's son, how did you end up here?"

"Harmony Latham, 85th. She married him after the Games."

"Right. What about you, Blondie?"

"Abby. Abigail-Rue Mellark."

"Ah. I thought you'd come along sooner or later. Only daughter of Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen. Named after another tribute too. Well, the Gamemakers would be a bit stupid to miss you. First year?"

"Yeah."

"You?" he asked, pointing to Alex, seemingly not remembering the names that they had told him a few moments ago. This wasn't surprising, given that the amount of liquor in the bottle had decreased rapidly since the Mentor had entered the room.

"Fourth year, name in ten times."

"Ouch! How'd you get that?"

"My big sister Libby took the tesserae for the first two years, and then I took it for me, Mum and Dad. The Victor's tesserae only goes so far, even when Libby got married, we couldn't survive on it. Still, they had to pick someone. I guess I just got unlucky. It could've been worse. I mean, look at you, Abby. First year, name one in thousands. That just proves it, Haymitch; the Games have been rigged against us."

"If that's so, Alex, you'll need to train harder than you ever have before. You're two in twenty-four. Those odds aren't impossible. Difficult, but doable. There's something that proved that twenty-five years ago, Abigail-Rue Mellark, and its right outside your bedroom door."

Something within Abby's mind snapped to attention, her head whipping around in the direction of her mentor, glancing quickly from Haymitch to Alex, her gaze finally resting on the open door at the far side of the room. Suddenly, she bolted from the room, sprinting through corridor after corridor, before coming to a dead halt as she caught sight of a red and gold plaque on her door.

As she approached, step after step, the writing became clearer, as did the image beside it. The emblem emblazoned across the plaque resembled a small, spread eagled bird with an arrow crossing through the circle around it. But it was the copperplate script that caught the attention of the young blonde, so much so that tears began to fill her crystalline eyes.

_Abigail-Rue Mellark  
The Mockingjay Reborn._

A/N: As it's my birthday, please leave me a review. They're my fuel for writing and I might lose the will to write if I don't get any of them.


	4. A Tribute to Death

Chapter Four

A/N: Just wanted to say thanks to my amazing reviewers, ShiverInTheLight, ToriDhampir, Iloveloki, Emma and my special friends, headinclouds123 and MrsCMellark. Keep reviewing, guys!

Tonight was the night. The stylists and prep teams had been working flat out to prepare the tributes for their presentation to Panem, the Capitol and most importantly, the Hunger Games itself. The crowd had amassed to thousands upon thousands of citizens, each waving their district's flag. Upon first sight, Abby couldn't see anyone with a flag to represent District 12, but she wasn't remotely surprised. Not even the Victors had enough money to leave the district. If they had, they would've taken their children and ran to the Capitol. But they couldn't.

Twelve chariots were lined up, each with different horses being prepared to pull them. Each pair of tributes were dressed entirely different, in keeping with the tradition of costumes reflecting their district's purpose.

At last, the trumpets rang out and the gate was lifted, revealing the screaming crowds. They all mounted their chariots and prepared to leave.

As usual, District One went first. Abby was listening very carefully to the commentators, who were revealing the names of the tributes and their parents. The first districts tributes names were Coda Jackson and Sapphire Heartcore. Coda was the son of Princa, the Victor of the 64th Hunger Games, while Sapphire was the daughter of lengendary Victor, Oliver Heartcore, who won his nickname 'Oliver Heartless', due to his ability to kill without a moments hesitation. Something within Abby hoped that he hadn't passed on that skill to his daughter. They were actually dressed very finely, reflecting their luxury status, in navy blue. Coda's shirt tied in with Sapphire's dress, which was almost hidden beneath her hair with it's namesake streak of blue and navy fur shawl. They were wearing large plumed headresses and in Abby's opinion, they looked like a pair of ridiculously overdressed peacocks.

District Two were next. Their names were William Oldmanne and Ebony Richardon, the children of Charles Oldmanne and Nathan Richardon, two of the fiercest contestants in the Hunger Games. Between them, they had killed thirty-eight tributes, including tributes from their own district. The pair didn't really look that fierce, but then again neither had their fathers before them. They were dressed in stone grey, their skin coated in white powder that looked like brickwork dust. No-one could dispute that they came from District Two. With the hardhats on their head, they were definately dressed as masonry workers.

When it got to District Three, Abby was beginning to lose interest, just managing to catch that the tributes' names were Pascal and Ada Olana, the two children of Jamie Olana, the Victor of the 59th Hunger Games. They were dangerous while working as a team, but Abby could tell that their father would have drilled into them that it was a fight to the death and that their own blood should not stand in their path to victory. Their outfits were matching shining silver long playsuits, representing their District's link to technology and reflecting the moonlight and lanterns, making the pair look almost serene, had the reason for their costumes not been what it was.

The next District caught Abby's attention. She didn't recognise Charlotte Nott's daughter, Mina Luigi, for any particular reason, but the male tribute was someone she knew very well. His name was Harrian Odair, the son of Finnick Odair, her parents' friend and fellow tribute, and his wife, Annie Cresta, who still remained as one of Katniss' best friends to that very day. He was smiling beautifully, waving at all parts of the stadium and displaying the crowd-pleasing tactics that his father had used before him. He definately looked crowd-pleasing, dressed in a glittering fisherman's attire, Mina matching him, and sporting one of the best tribute costumes that District Four had ever produced.

When Abby's shock and sadness had worn off, she saw that District Five's tributes, Lux Nithin and Alumina James, had entered the arena. They were the children of Nina Nithin and Lily James, two Victors who everyone knew had won by pure luck that the others either starved or wiped each other out. They didn't really pose much of a threat, but they certainly looked good, dressed in shirts and dresses with lights flashing from them, symbolizing District Five's employment in Power.

District Six were the weakest looking Tributes so far, the difference between the almost luxurious District One and the poverty-stricken District Twelve becoming more pronounced as every chariot went by. The tribute's names were something like Nissan Mica and Narina Larma, Abby wasn't listening properly again, her eyes still pretty much focused on Harry two chariots ahead. They were dressed in some kind of brown, with streaks of age-worn brass across their chests and stomachs. Abby supposed that they would represent the railway network, but they were nothing really special.

District Seven brought Abby quite a shock. The male Tribute, Ainsley Charleston Jr, was a tall boy with almost rippling muscles. He was the namesake son of Ainsley Charleston Sr, his resemblance could tell anyone that much and his father was a deadly rival in his games. The 68th Hunger Games actually ended in two days, and eighteen of the Tributes were killed by his hand. The others died running from him. He would definately be a fierce rival. But the girl was the real shock. She couldn't have been more than bicep height to the man, who was six foot in turn, and was so petite that looked as if she could be snapped in half like a stale loaf. But it was her name that offered even more of a shock to Abby. Isabelle Chaneir-Mason, Johanna's daughter. She was even younger than Abby, by eye, and Abby was barely twelve and a half years of age. Her long golden blonde hair was falling in a shimmering waterfall down her back, over the shimmering green leaves of her tribute dress, intercepted only by her leafed headband. She looked stunning, but she definately did not look like a survivor.

District Eight passed right by Abby and she didn't even hear their names, because she was so busy staring at the tiny girl from Seven. She saw that the Tributes wore almost patchwork clothes made of hundreds of different types of fabric, which easily drew the eye for a while, but then District Nine emerged and the commentors asked for a round of applause for Tarquin McGane and Rachel Hennessy.

District Nine were slightly better built, due to their industry in grain. Their names were Joshua Sanders and Jennifer Harvey and they were dressed in what looked to be clothes made out of the actual grain sacks. Alex agreed that they were probably for the effect, but Abby felt that it could have a reflection on District Nine's failing economy as well. Nevertheless, they were fairly forgettable, both in costume and personality.

There wasn't much chance of forgetting the Tributes from District Ten. Their names were Adrean Casous and Gazelle Kastor. They were dressed in black and white costumes which bore a startlingly realistic resemblance to cowskin with horned headresses on their heads, stopping at nothing when showing their District's occupation, livestock rearing for the Capitol. They looked almost comical actually and more than a few chuckles came through the screaming crowds.

District Eleven came around next, wearing diamonte-adorned farming clothes to show their Algricultural occupation to the extreme. The man's name was Dairia Asling, and the girl's Costa-Ruanne Chilrana. But it was Costa's family that interested Abby. Her mother's name was Amaryllis Chilrana, the Victor of the 79th Hunger Games, but her aunt was a Tribute as well. Rue Chilrana, both hers and Abby's partial namesake.

Finally, the horses started out and Abby and Alex entered the stadium. The screaming crowds fell silent almost at once. They all knew at once that she was Katniss Everdeen's daughter, because her hair had been changed. Her stylist, Chanci, had asked her if her hair was naturally blonde and she had answered no, which was true enough, as it had been dyed that colour to lessen the risk of her being identified, and he had decided to dye it back for her. Now that he had, she was almost identical to her mother, and no-one forgot the face of Katniss Everdeen. But it wasn't only her face that they gasped at. Both she and Alex were dressed in bright red, deep amber and stunning yellow, the layers of her dress and his shirt overlapping and twisting to create the effect of a flickering flame in the wind. Suddenly, a flash of movement across the crowds caught Abby's attention.

A woman in the crowd had raised three fingers to her lips, then raised them into the air. The men either side did the same, and the same from the people beside them. The gesture was spreading like wildfire and turning to the officials, Abby could see it was angering them immensely. The entire crowd was standing in absolute silence, the gesture mirrored in every direction. The pair were now riding into the square, where the obligitory speech on the importance of the Hunger Games was made. It was fairly different to the one that her parents had been given, as it mainly detailed the Rebellion of the 74th Hunger Games, her mother and father's Games and how this Quarter Quell was to show the rebels amongst them that rebellion comes with a price. Abby pitied her mum at this point, who would be sitting at home with her dad, watching as President Paylor gave Primrose Everdeen as the example of what can happen if you disobey the Capitol. She wondered if Katniss would be proud of her right now, as she watched the gesture in the crowds that she had provoked?

Abby didn't get the chance to think more as the horses were led inside and doors shut, as Haymitch and Effie led the two away, ready for the training the next day.

The Hunger Games had officially begun.

A/N: I'M SORRY! Please don't kill me for taking so long, just review so that I know it was worth it!


	5. Observing the Competition

Chapter Five

A/N: Thanks to my reviewers, Guest, a 2nd Guest, a 3rd Guest and my best friend, headinclouds123. I'm doing an extra update, however late, because my fore-mentioned best friend has been nagging me about it, so I hope this will satisfy both her and you other readers.

Abby lifted her head from her soft goose feather pillows to see the clock face etched into the wall. Eight-twenty five. Her eyes widened and she leapt from her bed, jumping into the shower and washing quickly, then pulling on a loose red tank top and some black trousers, slipping her feet into her shoes from the Tribute parade and ran from the room to the dining table.

Surprise, surprise, Effie was already there, sitting almost bolt upright in her chair, sipping coffee and picking at a small croissant. Haymitch was there as well, predictably more interested in the varied liquor bottles than in the food. The last one sitting was Alex, tucking in heartily to a varied supply of meats, eggs and vegetables.

"Ah, Abigail, so lovely to see you again. Now I must say, your hair looks absolutely lovely." smiled Effie, taking another small sip of her coffee.

"Thanks, Effie." she replied, putting some pancakes onto her plate, and some bread onto another, then pouring herself some hot chocolate. She cut a piece off the pancake and closed her eyes in bliss. Her mother was right, the food in the Capitol was absolutely gorgeous. She took another bite, then looked to Alex, who looked slightly nervous. She didn't know why.

"So, Haymitch, what are we doing today?"

"Well, you have to begin your training today, sweetheart. You'll get the chance to check out the other Tributes, but don't show your skills yet. Save that for the Gamemakers."

"And we get the chance to check out the Careers?" piped up Alex.

"Yeah, if you want. Just be careful of them. There's twice as many Careers as there were in your parents' days. There's One, Two, Three and Seven to be careful of now."

"Seven? But I've seen the girl from Seven, she's tiny." protested Abby

"Looks can be decieving, sweetheart." Haymitch shot back, refilling his glass from the wine bottle by Effie's side. "I thought you would've learnt that by now."

They finished the rest of their dinner in silence, before returning to their bedrooms to change. When she opened the door, she immediately saw that there was a black, red and silver shirt bearing the number 12 on each sleeve, with black trousers. She put them on and tied her hair up in a plait, before running down to the lift, where an identically dressed Alex was waiting.

They entered the Training Room to find the other twenty-two Tributes dressed identically to them, with their own District numbers on their sleeves. Seven of the Careers were standing together in a large group, the small girl from Seven standing across from them, her eyes directed to the floor. They were informed that there would be four compulsory exercises and the rest would be individual choices. The seven allied Careers naturally headed straight for the weapons, while the others spread around the survival skills. Abby immediately ran for the camouflage station, well away from where the majority of the Tributes were by the weapons. Abby reached for the paintbrush and was about to begin when a pair of arms wrapped around her from behind. She shrieked and turning, wrapping her arms around the boy when she recognised him.

"Harry! Oh, I wish you weren't here, I really do, but I'm glad you are, in a way. At least I'm not alone."

"Of course you're not, Ab. I just really wish you weren't here." Harry sighed.

"I know, but it'll be okay. I know it will." Abby reasoned, stopping when Harry sighed loudly once more, pulling away from their embrace, but leaving his hands resting on her upper arms.

"Oh, Abby, don't you understand? We're in a fight to the death, we can't both win!"

"Why not? My parents did it twice, once with your dad as well. If they can do it, why can't we?" Abby finished strongly, her statement shocking the elder boy into silence. They stayed like that for a few moments before Harry spoke again.

"Yeah, you're right." he finished, turning the pair of them around to watch the training going on elsewhere. The Tributes that they watched most carefully were, of course, the Careers. However, a few minutes later, Abby was starting to wish that they hadn't caught her eye.

True to their reputations, the Careers were vicious fighters. Four of them were duelling with swords, the Tributes of Districts Two and Three, while the Tributes from One and the boy from Seven were practicing spear throwing. The throwing knives were abandoned, none of the Careers choosing to use them, which suited Harry, as they were his chosen weapon, but when Abby went to collect a bow, also not in use by the Careers, she found that it was gone. '_That's strange._' Abby thought, but paid it no more heed, instead returning to the survival skills station.

At last, the end of the day came. The next day would consist of their presentation to the Gamemakers and their interviews with the Games' long-running commentator, Caesar Flickerman. He had interviewed her parents twice, which was one of the first things Abby had thought of when she realised who her interviewer would be, the same would be true of most of the Tributes. Still, from the videos she had seen of him, Caesar seemed a nice enough man and Abby was not fearing the interview at all.

What she was fearing, however, was what was to come in two days time. In two days, she would enter the arena, where her fight to the death would begin. Part of her wanted to be terrified, but she ignored that feeling concentrating instead on who she was. She was the only daughter of Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, each twice a champion in the same Hunger Games.

If she couldn't win the Hunger Games, who could?!

A/N: Sorry for the late update, but here it is. Please review, I want to know your opinions!


	6. Letting Go

Chapter Six

A/N: Thanks to dream-on-sunday for reviewing. This is for you. Nagging finally pays off!

Their presentation and interview day had dawned, quite aptly, with gale-force winds and a full scale thunderstorm, which perfectly matched the feeling of fear dawning in Abby's heart. Her mother had long since told her how difficult her first interview had been, how she really got through it on luck and not relied on much else. These words had been a matter of light humour at the time, but it was only now that Abby realised how much they had truly counted.

Still, this uneasy knowledge had not helped Abby's confidence to rise, not even in the slightest. At that precise moment, waiting in anticipation for the meeting with Caesar Flickerman, Abby would have given anything to see her mother and father again, to have them prepare with her and reassure her that all would soon be as it was. But that couldn't happen. Nothing would ever be as it was again, even if the young girl followed in her parents' footsteps, as all three of them would then be scarred by the events of the Games.

It seemed to be easy to hide from the 74th and 75th Hunger Games in their household, as the events were never spoken of, but Abby could sometimes hear her father chatting to their friend, Johanna, about it, on occasion heard her mother wake from a nightmare. She had always awoken from them shouting a name, Rue, Finnick, or most commonly, Prim. That was how Abby had known that once you have been in the Games, even if you are lucky enough to win, they stay with you forever.

Her morbid thoughts were interrupted as a loud yet dainty knock resounded on the wooden door.

"Abigail, time to get up. Big day!" came the excitable voice of Effie from the other side of it. Abby groaned a little, sitting up and swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. Effie Trinkett was ruining her day so far, rousing her from her bed so early, alongside the fact that she had spoken her full name, something ever her parents did not do.

"I'm coming." Abby shouted in response, getting up and walking into the shower. She selected a combination of lemon and vanilla scented bubbles, and was reluctant to step out after the five minutes she had been in there, but knew she had to, lest she have Effie banging on her door once again. She hurriedly threw on a pair of trousers and a shirt, and then ran into the dining room, her hair still wrapped up in a towel.

"Good morning, sweetheart." greeted Haymitch, downing a mug of strong, black coffee, though from the slight slur in his voice, Abby could not help but wonder if the drink was actually stronger than it looked. As she shared a glance with Alex, who was sitting across the table from her, she saw that he thought precisely the same, and judging by her exasperated expression, as did Effie.

"Yes, good morning, Abigail." Effie added, causing Abby to wince once again. She really did hate that name, and now suspected that Effie knew this and only continued to use it to rile her.

"Good morning indeed, Effelliane." Abby greeted in exchange, bursting out into peals of laughter when the comment had scarcely passed her lips, while Haymitch and Alex joined her in her jubilant jokes, laughing so hard that Haymitch had to hit his head once on the table to calm himself down.

"Nice one, kid!" Haymitch commended, slapping the girl on the back.

"Yes, very droll. Now, Tributes, I trust that you know today is your interview day, with Caesar Flickerman." Effie said, her voice wobbling a little at the mention of the joke, but straightening again as she consulted her fuchsia pink clipboard, the slip of paper clipped to it confirming the schedule for the day.

"Of course they know that, Effie. You really think I wouldn't tell them something that important?" Haymitch exclaimed, the hiccup penetrating the last word weakening his argument by far.

"The amount of 'coffee' you've had, I don't think you're in a fit mood to tell anyone anything, important or otherwise." Effie shot back, snatching the mug from his hand and placing it at the other end of the table, where he couldn't reach out for it.

"Now, your schedule for the day…"

The remainder of the day had passed unimaginably slowly, but eventually the evening had arrived. Twenty four Tributes formed a line in the hall outside the studio, barely exchanging words other than to their district partners, if to anyone at all.

Finally, the call came for Coda to take to the stage. He was extremely confident, as Abby had expected the Careers to be, given the amount of time they had been training for the Games, as to no surprise were Sapphire, William, Ebony, the District Three siblings and Ainsley, as their various times came to speak to Caesar.

The rest of the interviews were fairly dull in comparison to the boasting and crowd pleasing of the Careers. '_That must be how they do it, then_.' thought Abby, as she watched all seven of them laugh and joke their way through. '_Half to do with training, half to do with gaining sponsorships any way they can_.' It was a technique that she would have to try, she supposed. No one would sponsor Katniss Everdeen's daughter without it.

Districts Four, Five and Six were relatively similar and bland, full of Tributes discussing how they had not expected to be chosen and how much they hoped to return. That would make no difference for the people of the Capitol, who were merely in it for the sport of it all, though Abby was relieved to see Harry making an impression on the crowd. '_If I don't have a chance against the Careers, at least he will_.' she thought gladly.

Any tribute that Abby had been looking out for was the small girl from District Seven. She had been relatively calm in her interview, as Caesar spoke to her gently, mainly on the topic of her mother, who was known to have been a vicious fighter in the Games. She did not look as though she could be a killer, but then again, neither had Johanna.

Before she knew it, Alex was called onto the stage and Abby was left all alone in the hallway. For some reason, just as he left, Abby recalled the story her mother had told. Well, it was a story that everybody knew in all honesty, but there was something about Katniss telling her that made the story much more real. On this night, twenty five years ago, Peeta Mellark had proclaimed his love for Katniss Everdeen, live on the stage in front of half of the Capitol, and on television for everyone to see. She had been horrified that he had done so, slamming him against the wall and threatening him, but Katniss had confessed that she had been rather flattered by the action.

She snapped out of her daydream as a man clothed in black exited the stage, bringing Alex along with him. The boy flashed her a quick smile, as he walked back in the direction of the lift, but she was drawn away from his charms by the man in black calling her up the steps.

The lights were blinding as she walked out onto the stage, the cheers of the crowds almost deafening as she did so. She stumbled up to the chair as quickly as she could, feeling no other way to get the interview over with as soon as she could. In the chair beside her, Caesar Flickerman raised his hands and the room fell ethereally silent.

"So, Miss Abigail-Rue Mellark-" Caesar began, but Abby, unable to help herself, winced at the sound of her name.

"Are you alright?" Caesar suddenly asked, reaching over to clasp her hand. Abby nodded vigorously, but the turquoise haired man still continued."Ah, the name, is it?"

"Yes. I just don't really like my full name. I only hear it when I'm in trouble."

"Ah. So, Abby…" Caesar trailed off, as if to judge whether the name was alright or not. When Abby nodded once more, he continued. "As the daughter of two such famous Victors, you have much more to live up to than any of the others. Are you scared?"

"Absolutely." Abby answered honestly. "My parents were a lot braver than I am, and even they found it so difficult to survive. I'm not a coward, not at all, but it'll be hard, there's no denying that."

"Indeed. Do you have any strategy for the Games, any particular plan you've developed to ensure you stay around long enough to put up a fight?"

"Not really. Just to stay out of sight until a few people are out of the way, then… hope. Hope that I won't let my parents down."

"Right. Good luck, Abby. Abigail-Rue Mellark, ladies and gentlemen, District Twelve!"

As the applause started up once more, Abby rose from the chair, shook Caesar's hand and left through the door she had come in by. Effie was waiting outside the door, jabbering away non-stop at her as they walked in the direction of the lift Alex had occupied five minutes earlier. But Abby wasn't listening. All she could think about was the truth of the things that she had said to Caesar.

She hoped she wouldn't let her parents down.

A/N: I know it took a long time, but with the memory stick situation I haven't been able to write.


	7. Preparing to Die

Chapter Seven

A/N: Why no reviews? *sighs*

As the night finally arrived and the moon rose in the sky, the young brunette from District Twelve was utterly lost in thought. The final training day had passed. It was strange for Abby to think that this time in two days, she had not the slightest idea where she would be. She could be in a desert, a forest or an arctic wasteland, for all she knew. There was no telling where the Tributes would end up.

She had been training for this for four days, though in truth, she didn't know what she was training for, as no one else did either, bar the Gamemakers, of course. Especially as, just a few hours earlier, it had dawned on Abby that, even though her parents had given her advice on how to survive in the Games, their time in the tournament would be utterly different to hers. She was completely alone.

Abby had always tried to put any thoughts of the Games to the back of her mind, just as her parents did, but it had never been easy. The Games, as unfortunate as it may be, had been a part of Abby's life ever since she had been born.

She could never escape them. Her parents were Victors, their friends as well, and their District had been the beginning of the uprising, of which her mother was the Mockingjay. Her aunt had died at such a young age, killed in the taking of the Capitol, something which Katniss had never truly gotten over, though Abby was not surprised at this. And now, she herself was going to be in the Games, she was preparing to fight for her life. Preparing to live. Preparing to die.

Shaking her head in an attempt to clear it a little, Abby gazed out at the shimmering skyline of the Capitol, the moonlight causing the steel of the buildings to sparkle like the stars above them. It would have been beautiful, had the girl not been there for the purpose she was.

'_I wonder how the people of the Capitol feel when they watch the Tributes Parade._' the young girl thought, as she watched the fluorescent lights flickering from colour to colour through the windows of the city's nightclubs. '_When they see the training scores, and the Games themselves. Over all that time, were they really betting against each other on the lives of unfortunate children? Did they really even care which ones would die?'_

The truth entered the young girl's mind even as she thought the words, though she did not want to face it at all. The truth was, of course, that the Games were just that to most of those rich people. Games.

But to the outskirt Districts, to all of them really, the Games were far more than that. They were the nightmares that plagued their children's youth, the memories that haunted the twilight. The screams that never truly left the air.

'_I wonder…_' Abby thought, leaning her head firmly against the pane of glass. '_Are my parents thinking about me now? Are they lying awake in bed, wondering whether I'm alright? Maybe even wondering whether I'm thinking of them, too. Will they be alright? Will they cope without me?'_

No sooner had she thought the words than Abby realised it. She had finally done it. She was giving up.

Right from the very beginning, the one thing the young brunette had wanted to retain, had needed to retain, was her belief in herself. Without that, there was nothing in the Games to keep her alive. Without that, she was completely on her own.

Suddenly, a click came from behind her, like that of a closing door. Upon turning, the girl saw a figure cast in shadow, approaching the window she was sat beside. Only when he came into the light did she finally recognise him. Alex.

"You're up quite late, aren't you?" he questioned, not bothering to say anything in the way of a greeting. The pair had grown, in the past week, to reach the point of being almost friends and no longer saw the point in acting formal.

"I couldn't sleep." Abby simply replied, shrugging her shoulders slightly.

"Me neither." he responded, crossing the room in five long strides to come to sit opposite the girl beside the window, his head turned towards it. "I can't stop thinking about tomorrow, about what's going to happen in the arena."

"I'm the same." she admitted, not wanting to turn to face the boy, in case he could the tears in her eyes reflected in the skylights. "I don't know what it's going to be. It could be a desert, a forest, a ruined city… anything. I don't even know if I'm going to live through the first day."

"You will!" Alex exclaimed suddenly, turning his face to face the girl, who subconsciously did the same. "Abby, you are going to live through this. You're going to live through the first day, and the second, and the third, and every day until the end of your life. Because that isn't going to be in the Games."

"Alex, you can't be sure of that. The Games are violent. My mum barely survived, and she was far braver than I am. You can't win the Games if you're scared, and I am terrified. So tell me, how am I possibly going to survive this?" By this point, tears were streaming endlessly from her eyes, marring her face as she let out a sob.

Before she knew what was happening, she was encircled in Alex's arms, crying quietly over his shoulder while he stroked her back in soothing circles. In any normal circumstances, had any male other than her father tried to comfort her, she would have broken away immediately, but there was just something about Alex's embrace that made her want to stay in it forever.

Whether forever would come, she would soon find out.

A/N: Thanks for reading, please review!


	8. Last Link to Home

Chapter Eight

A/N: Unfortunately, no reviewers.

The dawn had come far too soon for Abby, as it had brought it with it the worst day of her life, one which could potentially be her last.

In fact, she was hardly sure that she would survive the day at all. No matter how many times Alex had promised her otherwise, there was a haze covering her mind, whispering that she would not live to see the sunset at all. And no matter what she did in an attempt to stop the voice, it continued to taunt her, breathing just as she did. Killing her slowly.

A knock on the door caused the haze to fade a little, though it came flooding back when the face of Haymitch Abernathy came into view. '_He is one of the three Victors from District Twelve, not four. Never four.'_

"Sweetheart? It's time to get ready. Get your uniform on and meet us in the foyer downstairs in twenty minutes. Okay?" At Abby's nod, the man left the room with a smile, leaving a terrified young girl in his wake.

Pulling on her uniform, the brunette felt that she could have begun to cry. She did not feel like an adult, preparing to go into a battle. She did not even feel her age. She felt like a tiny child, wishing to cling to her mother, but knowing that she couldn't. Maybe that she wouldn't ever again. The future was so uncertain, she did not even know if she would see sunset.

When she reached the foyer, the girl found her entire prep team waiting for her, along with Haymitch, Effie and Alex. The Capitol citizen was sobbing into a handkerchief, wailing loudly as she did so, and their Mentor was attempting to comfort the woman by patting her awkwardly on the back. As she blew her nose loudly, Effie finally noticed Abby's arrival.

"Oh, Abigail!" she cried out, running over to the young brunette as quickly as she could, her high heels restraining the speed of her movement dramatically. "Now, I don't want you to worry. Victory in the Games is in your blood, after all. If your parents can do it, there is nothing stopping you doing so as well."

All Abby did in response was nod her head a little, not wanting to talk about her mother and father. She did not know if she would see them again, after all, and did not want to get her hopes up. Her only focus for now was survival.

"Right, then. I suppose we ought to go." Effie said, swallowing down the further tears that were threatening to surface in her already coral coloured eyes. "Come along, both of you."

To minimise the risks of any information about the Games being leaked through stylists, who were told more about the arena than the Mentors and escorts were, in order to prepare suitable costumes for their Tributes, and so the Capitol had decreed that the Tributes all be taken to the same room before entering the Games, and that no one was allowed to escort them further than their apartments.

"Well, kids, this is the furthest we can go." Haymitch said, a touch of reluctance audible in his tone, which was husky from a combination of alcohol and the disuse of his voice. "It's up to you two from here."

Abby was also slightly upset by this information, but did her upmost not to let it show, for fear that Effie would start her fussing over again. Instead, she kept her head held high, even as she bid farewell to the only two links to her parents she had left in the Games. Now, she only had Alex left to cling to.

Ten minutes had passed, and the two Tributes from District Twelve were sat in a transportation capsule, alongside the Tributes from Districts Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten and Eleven. The other twelve were being taken down in another capsule, to minimise the risk of fights breaking out between the Careers and the others, as the former held a reputation for being highly confrontational, even before they touched one foot down in the arena. '_At least they hold our safety in regard before we get to the Games, even if they don't do afterwards__.__'_ Abby thought, with more than a touch of bitterness. The Gamemakers had always been an object of hate for the young girl, due to the trouble they had deliberately caused for her parents all those years ago, particularly for her mother.

Allowing herself the risk, Abby cast a quick glance around the capsule. She was wary of doing so earlier, as just a single look taken in the wrong way could mean death in the arena. It just depended on the person, as the Careers in particular were privy to this tactic, using any excuse to execute a cold blooded kill in the early hours of the Games. Out of the corner of her eye, the young Mellark could not help but glance over at Ainsley.

Even as she concentrated so avidly on Ainsley, Abby could not help but see Isabelle also, as she was seated right beside her District partner, though in all honesty, the younger looked to want to be as far away from him as Abby did, if not further. Truthfully, the brunette did not blame her.

It only took a further minute before the engine of the capsule ceased. The thing itself then seemed to sink through the very ground, stopping approximately twenty feet beneath it, where the passengers were finally released. '_Beneath what could be my grave.'_ Abby thought grimly.

There was no hesitation for the Tributes, as they were each shepherded to various rooms, escorted by an Avox. '_Those poor people.'_ the young girl sympathised, though she made no more sound doing so than the poor man did.

Almost instantly, Abby was led into a cylindrical chamber, made entirely of glass. Unlike her mother and father before her, the brunette knew exactly what these tubes were, as she had learnt it from them. For some reason, as they were reasonable familiar, she did not fear them. The terror only surfaced when the platform began to rise.

'_This is it.'_ Abby told herself, as a single tear fell from her eye. '_This is the beginning of the end.'_

A/N: Please review, because next chapter is the arena!


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